James and Al give their insights on March Madness and welcome former ambassador to Egypt Frank Wisner and storied congressional representative Barney Frank.  In their conversations they discuss the Iranian-Saudi relationship, how China plays into the modern diplomatic landscape, and examine the recent financial troubles facing banks like SVB across the nation.





Email your questions to James and Al at politicswarroom@gmail.com or tweet them to @politicon.  Make sure to include your city, we love to hear where you’re from!



Get More From This Week’s Guests:



Frank Wisner

Middle East Institute | American Iranian Council



Rep. Barney Frank

Twitter | House.gov | Website



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188: The Two Franks

Master political strategist James Carville and revered journalist Al Hunt convenes a war room each week to discuss the battle for the soul of the nation!  Join them as they gather the sharpest minds from across the country to see who has the most compelling case for the American people on the issues that matter most.

National

Government & Organizations

News

Politics

Government

News Commentary

James and Al game out Trump’s prosecution, reluctantly give credit to Speaker Johnson, and castigate the SCOTUS, before welcoming retired General John Allen to discuss our place in world affairs.  They look at the effects of the foreign aid package, how to continue to support our allies, and the next phase of the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars.  Their analysis also dives into the evolving duties of the Marine Corps, how warfare is waged on the information battlefield, the challenges that define our relationship with China, and the role of risk and vulnerability in successful diplomacy.  



Email your questions to James and Al at politicswarroom@gmail.com or tweet them to @politicon.  Make sure to include your city, we love to hear where you’re from!



Watch James Carville Explains on YouTube Playlist



James Carville & Al Hunt have launched the Politics War Room Substack



Get More From This Week’s Guest:



General John Allen:

Defense.gov | Brookings Institution | DHS.gov | AF.mil | Author of “Turning Point” | Author of “Future War”



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246: War & Peace with General John Allen

James and Al dive into Congress’ handling of the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and analyze the politically transformative effects of Dobbs on the Republican party.  Then they welcome legal expert Fred Wertheimer to discuss the progression of Trump’s first criminal trial, how the charges can be proven, and developments in the other legal challenges confronting him.  They also are joined by political strategist Billy Ray to explore how identity politics have moved Democrats away from effective messaging, the changes the party needs to make, and why appealing to the center will lead to generational wins.



Email your questions to James and Al at politicswarroom@gmail.com or tweet them to @politicon.  Make sure to include your city, we love to hear where you’re from!



Watch James Carville Explains on YouTube Playlist



James Carville & Al Hunt have launched the Politics War Room Substack



Get More From This Week’s Guests:



Fred Wertheimer:

Twitter | Just Security | Wertheimer Lipton | Democracy 21



Billy Ray:

Twitter | Common Defense | IMDB 



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245: Convicting Trump & Finding The Center with Fred Wertheimer & Billy Ray

James and Al decry Islamophobia and welcome MN Senator Tina Smith to discuss foreign relations and the Dobbs decision’s role in our politics.  Following anti-abortion revanchism under the Comstock Act and extreme restrictions in red states, they analyze how to fight back by enacting legislation to secure women’s rights, the policies that will energize young voters, and what it will take to win state and national elections.  They also strategize about how to overcome pro-Putin Republicans in the House to get support to Ukraine, secure an Israel-Hamas cease fire, and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. 



Email your questions to James and Al at politicswarroom@gmail.com or tweet them to @politicon.  Make sure to include your city, we love to hear where you’re from!



Watch James Carville Explains on YouTube Playlist



James Carville & Al Hunt have launched the Politics War Room Substack



Get More From This Week’s Guest:



Senator Tina Smith:

Senate.gov | Website | Twitter | MN.gov



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244: Supreme Allied Commander for The War On Women - Senator Tina Smith

James and Al critique coastal elitism, explore how the Israel-Gaza war ends, and welcome Justice Breyer to discuss the role of the Supreme Court and its judges.  They compare textualism and pragmatism using Justice Scalia as a foil, weigh the factors that go into reading the Constitution, debate politics’ place on the bench, review the ethics governing the court, and look at why public approval of the judicial branch is plummeting.  In their conversation they also break down the language of the 2nd Amendment, explain how history is the ultimate arbiter of past decisions, and call on us to listen to one another to find compromise where we can.



Email your questions to James and Al at politicswarroom@gmail.com or tweet them to @politicon.  Make sure to include your city, we love to hear where you’re from!



Watch James Carville Explains on YouTube Playlist



James Carville & Al Hunt have launched the Politics War Room Substack



Get More From This Week’s Guest:



Justice Stephen Breyer:

SupremeCourt.gov | Oyez | Harvard | Author of “Reading The Constitution” & Other Books



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243: The Court & The Constitution with Justice Stephen Breyer

James and Al take Rep. Jim Jordan to task for continuing to spew lies about the 2020 election and review the status of Trump’s many trials, their possible outcomes, and their effect on the race.  They also debate what NBC’s firing of Ronna McDaniel says about the state of network journalism, and weigh how RFK Jr. affects the election after his vice presidential pick.  Author and sports journalist John Feinstein joins them to discuss March Madness, the business of sports, Pete Rose’s fall from grace, all time sports greats, the best city for sports, and more. 



Short note on audio quality: 

Due to unforeseen technical issues we had to record this episode on Zoom without our professional microphones and audio interfaces! 

Please excuse the slightly diminished audio quality. 



Email your questions to James and Al at politicswarroom@gmail.com or tweet them to @politicon.  Make sure to include your city, we love to hear where you’re from!



Watch James Carville Explains on YouTube Playlist



James Carville & Al Hunt have launched the Politics War Room Substack



Get More From This Week’s Guests



John Feinstein:

Twitter | WaPo | Author



Please Support Our Sponsors:



Miracle Made:

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188: The Two Franks

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